Improvement in the construction of railways



-To ZZ 111710111, it may concern:

`connect the cross-ties, sleepers or pedestals,

I keys, or any other fastenings Whatever; and

-in combining them with chairs thatconform eren'ce to the drawings.v

- the various figures.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.niRAM CARPENTER, on NEW Yoan, N. Y., AssieNon To HENRY v. GAHAGAN,

.OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION lOF RAILWAYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 35,198, dated May 6, 1862.

Bo it known that I, HIRAM CARPENTER, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Construct ion'ot' Railways g and I (lqliercby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, referencevbeing had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

A large portionof the expense of maintainin g the permanent way of a railway is devoted to the supervision of the fastcnings ofthe rails and the chairs, and to the renewal of the bolts, treenails, and keys that is so constantly. required. The object of my invention is to and chairs and rails in such a Way that they will constitute a complete and Well-secured system without the intervention of any bolts or it consists in fitting the cross-tiesand pedestals together with a socket or lock joint, and

tothe section of the rails and hold them securely without the usual taper keys or Wedges. To prevent the injury incident to concussion upon a perfectly-rigid support, I interpose in-V dia-rubber or other elastic material between the parts in such a manner that itis easy of access and permits `the adjustment of the track Without disturbing the pedestals or ballasting of the roadway. f`

i To enable others skilled in the art to make, and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its constructionand operation with ref- Figure l is a vertical section of iny-invenfv tion, showing the combination which I prefer to use to support the rail constituting one side of a railway, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is also a vertical section of the same combination of parts arranged in a different manner, and Fig. 4 is a plan ot the same With the chair removed.

The saine letters refer to similar parts in n 'lherailstl are held in the jaws of the chairs b, that tit over or into the cylinders c' of the pedestals d, with a piece of india-rubber, e, interposed. The pedestals are held in gage the various parts suflici formed with an eye at each end that may be' expanded by heat and.. shrunk on the cylin-` dri'cal portionot the pedestal. The jaws of the chairs are shaped in conformity 'with the section of the railsthey are to hold, and they may be fitted either over orinto the .cylinf dricalportion of the pedestal. The'elastic l material is of vulcanized india-rubber or otherI suitable material made of several thicknesses or Washers, and it may be placed either under the center or the edges of the chair.V When the shanks of the chairs are it-ted Ainto the cylinders of the pedestals the chairs may be vmade in halves that jam upon the rails with'V any force desired. In this latter arrangement, as is represented more particularly in Fig. 3, the exterior flange of the chair Vcoversthetop of the pedestal and excludes thev dust;

lHaving thus described the twometho'ds of constructing and operating my invention which I prefer to adopt., I wouldhere statethat the arrangement of the various parts may be modified without departing from thelspirit of my invention, which consi'stsinconibining them to form a railway without requiring the' use of bolts, keys,.or-other fastenings, andincludes any arrangement similar to that which I have described, although superiuous fastenjingsmay be added thereto.A A

is cheap a Wooden In countries where wood substructure has been foundl desirable on account of-itselasticity and saving of Wear and tear 'to the rolling-stock; but its Want of durability `occasions a constant expenditure for vrepairs and renewals that balances the ori'- ginal economy of construction; and although a substructure of iron 'or' stone has seemed superior on account of the durability of` the material, the rigidity of the bearings has rendered their parts especially liable to the prejudicial eects of concussion, andit `has been found dicult and expensive to keep ently and effectively fastened.

The system of construction which I have invented and described imparts sufficient elasticity to the track, and combines the parts of t adjust the llevel of the track by regulating v the thiol/messi ornumber of' the india-rubber 'washers or disks, or by interposing ordinaryl :rn-etalv Washeraand it mayv be completely removed and' lre'pla'ced Without disturbing the pedestals, ties, or balla'sting. As I prefer to confine the bearing-suiace-to the pedestals,which are ot cast' iron, and to use merely a .small Wrought-iron tie to retain them 'in position andggage, the rst'cosjt of this'permanent Way is considerably less than that 'of any yother in use which requires the employment of costly fastenings that are, moreover, the sourcelof constant expense `for maintenance; and it is also of especial advantage that itmay be -gradfually applied and introduced in4 etfect jug' the rrepairs of a road of the ordinary construction, as each tie and pair of pedestals is` y omy complete fective when used in connection with any other means of support' for the rails as it would be-if combined with a series of others similar to itself.

readinessof adaptation to renewals of other systems are not occasioned by any 'of thevvaious `component parts separately considered,

but are the result of their combination in the manner 1 have invented and described;

l claim, therefore', l

sireto secure by Letters Patentv y The combinationof the pcdestfls with Wrought-iron4 cross-ties and chairs, or their equivalents,v 'and either with or Without-the addition of any elastic material, substantially in ythe manner described, and for the purpose specified. f

Vitnessesz l DUNHAM J. CRAN, l; WM. KEMBLE HALL,

and perfect in itself, and is as et'- 'lhese special and 'valuable features of econ -A of construction' and maintenance and' y invention, and defluent (ARPENTER. 

